My Complete Guide To A Natural No-Side-Effect Medicine Cabinet

Since several readers have asked me to share what I keep in my medicine cabinet, I have been thinking how to save you time, money, and make your way to natural health more sure and enjoyable. This is one of those posts you may want to print out to have on hand!

What I would like to show is that there are many safe and logical natural alternatives that do a fabulous job of helping our body to heal itself – all with no side effects. I believe we save money and potentially untold grief by staying out of the health care system as we know it today.

A word of warning: It would be very expensive to pull all this together overnight. If you can afford it, go ahead. Instead, if you’re on a tighter budget like us, you can begin replacing conventional medications with more natural alternatives – little by little – as so many of you are doing.

How To Build A Natural Medicine Cabinet

I began by purchasing only what I needed when I needed it. I was hooked on finding more natural things to avoid going to the doctor for every little thing and consider it a challenge! Today with the internet, we can research so much.

This list is selected with concern for:

completely non-toxic, no-side-effect ingredients

and more effective outcomes because your immune system is protected instead of suppressed or damaged

Some remedies you can make yourself, and some you will want to buy. I shop all over the place to find the best value for our medicine cabinet needs. I don’t necessarily get the least expensive product, but look at the quality and especially look at ingredients.

We keep buffered powdered Vitamin C around at all times. At first sign of illness, we take 1000 mg. (1/4 tsp) every hour until stools are slightly loose (bowel tolerance) and then reduce the dose to half and continue taking. Often, the cold or flu never develops, especially when in combination with elderberry syrup.

Chelated Zinc – we take extra zinc first thing when our immune system needs a boost, we are under stress, or on a deadline.

Defense Plus Tablets (grapefruit seed extract)- we use this when a cold or cough goes into the chest and shows signs of becoming entrenched. Defense Plus and Oreganol Oil-P73 (between 3-4 drops in an empty capsule, 3x/day) are my go-tos for anything more serious than a cold since I can’t use traditional antibiotics. We have been fortunate and have had to use antibiotics only once for one of our children, so that is saying something about these products!

Garlic is a powerful, natural antibiotic and true medicine. Odorless Garlic softgels are easily taken by children or adults, but fresh is best. When not going out, take 1 big fresh clove, 3 times a day (crush and expose to air for ten minutes before consuming in V8 juice, etc).

Silver-Biotics (nano particles, not colloidal) – we learned about nanosilver when we had a well contamination and needed comprehensive and immediate help! We drank 1/4 cup twice a day for 3 days, then 1/4 cup once a day for 2 days. It’shighly effective against bacteria, viruses, and fungal organisms, even those that had become resistant to antibiotics (MRSA).

Sore Throat

Throat Coat Tea – one of our favorite teas ever, and it works! Gargle with salt water or lemon juice

Get the free printable Elderberry Recipes PDF!

Digestive/Gastrointestinal Tract

Probiotics for healthy gut flora, to fight candida and leaky gut. We use Primal Defense (powder most economical) for adults and children. Very healing. And for a one, two punch with difficult gut issues, also use FCLO (next).

Cod Liver Oil to heal a leaky gut or poor absorption of food w/ wonderfully high levels of Vitamins A&D and Omega-3s.

Upper Respiratory/Chest/Sinus/Allergies

Eucalyptus Essential Oil is my favorite decongestant and expectorant. I like to dilute it in a carrier oil or coconut oil to use as a chest decongestant. Mix it with other essential oils (peppermint, cloves, cinnamon, lemon, tea tree, lavender) if you have them on hand to make a great vapor rub fro the medicine cabinet.

Elderberry syrup or tincture (see Cold/Flu) isn’t only for colds and flu. It addresses viral upper respiratory infections and builds immune system all winter.

Mullein is an awesome herb to help get mucous up and out of the chest. Drink lots of water with this to loosen phlegm. I love gathering mullein to make my own dried herb.

Allergies are often fought successfully with raw local honey! If you can’t find a truly raw, local source, this is next best value (both price and quality, IMHO): YS Bee Farm, 32 oz.

Essential Oil Diffuser – Add your own blend or single oil in the sick room, bathroom, and kitchen to prevent germs from spreading. This is a wonderful method to help clean-up after the flu, as well. I LOVE my diffuser!

Car Diffuser with peppermint or lavender (or Thieves blend if there is a flu outbreak).

Haha! I must need some ginseng…I’m tired of this loooong post…lol but I am so glad to help and encourage Mamas in this important endeavor. It is so satisfying to see families building their own medicine cabinet and getting well.

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Comments

Wow, this is full of great information Jacqueline! Thank you for taking the time to write this all down in one spot. We have a lot of the same items but I will have to add the activated charcoal to our cupboard (as well as a few others!). We also like the Nutribiotic skin ointment in lieu of Neosporin and have also used it on cold sores.

To add, we take slippery elm for stomach aches and use colloidal silver for sore throats, etc…

I do have a question though, with all the fermented foods that you eat, is it still necessary to buy probiotics? I have stopped purchasing them for that reason but perhaps I am missing something?

Thank you so much for all your hard work in compiling this list! I’ve used essential oils for years but have been wanting lately to become less dependant on the doctors office. I had no idea where to start and this list is such a blessing to me. I’ll definitely be ordering many things from your links over the next few months. Thank you!

Jacque, I cannot thank you enough for this extensive article on how to create a quality, natural medicine cabinet! This has been very heavy on my heart this new year to continue to work towards a more natural, healthy approach to caring for our family. The work that you have put into this is amazing, bless you and thank you for sharing.

Kelly,
Thank you! I am so glad to help and encourage younger Mamas in this important endeavor. It is so satisfying to see my family getting well and also learning these things to take with them for their own households one day 🙂
Blessings!

Oh my, what an exhaustive guide you’ve given us. And I know how long it takes to put something like this together…hours and hours. But what a great reference for us to have at our fingertips. Thank you so much, Jacqueline. I’ll surely think of this the next time I order from Bulk Herb Store. Have a great Lord’s Day! (tomorrow) 🙂

Thank you for all of this awesome information! I’ve been researching and this post is exactly what I need! It is refreshing to see your collection of varying brands. My research has been bombarded with brand promotions, making the therapeutic properties research that much harder. Thank you for compiling all the links and info!

This is an incredible post Mrs. Franks! Thank you for taking the time to put it together. I just got the book Be Your Own Doctor and have been collecting more essential oils. The one thing I need to replace is ibuprofen/Tylenol and build from there. I’ve enjoyed learning about natural things to take during pregnancy like ACV for heartburn instead of Tums!

Sarah, we have been praying for you for the last several weeks! You are at 40 weeks, aren’t you?!
I am glad to write this, and am so glad when I see Mamas teaching their young people about God’s awesome gifts for our health 🙂
Can’t wait to see the photos soon!
God bless you all three!

This is such a valuable post. I wish I had had all this information 30 years ago when my kids were little, but I am grateful to be able to share it with them now. Thank you for sharing all of this wonderful information.

Thanks so much for your excellent & thorough research on this most important topic. especially now, with increasing antibiotic resistance, it is important not to use medications indiscriminately. Many blessings to you!

I will only comment with one of my discoveries. I dealt with horrible urinary tract infections for years.. the misery . Drank the real cranberry juice took the cranberry pills, tried d-mannose, and urinary flush, and vinegar, lemon juice, and on and on. Often every two weeks I’d be pack in pain. Oh if I had the money from all the antibiotics, azo, cystex, and others I’ve bought.. Well after intensive research I realized the connection with antibiotics. I had been on them so often (cipro is just horrible) My friendly bacteria was wiped clean. I landed with c-diff; Clostridium difficile bacterial infection. Bad stuff had it so long without realizing it infected my organs. I live in Georgia and my father had to fly down from Pennsylvania because I wasn’t suppose to live. Anyhoots. I just wanted out of the hospital to start supplementing myself not more drugs. Today I’m happy to say by stopping antibiotics , while months of painful misery, taking large amounts of saccharomyces boulardii , and a variety of strains of pre and pro biotics and eating fermented foods… I haven’t suffered from one in 6 months. huge for me. I will forgo antibiotics from now on. I had and abcess tooth and wouldn’t take the antibiotic just did charcoal internally and externally. successfully. Thank you for your wealth of information. I truly believe God provided us with the means to heal thyselves. Your amazing!

Oh, Wow! An amazing story and it was only 6 months ago? I am so glad you are OK! What you experienced is no small thing, Beth!! Praise God for His mercy and care…that said He did tell us to take dominion over the earth, and I am still amazed at all that we have at our disposal to get us back to health. Take care, my friend, and God bless you!

I really enjoyed this!!!! Thank you for all the useful information that I will be referring to time and time again! I was already doing some of this, but so excited about the things I didn’t know. Always love learning more 🙂

Thank you for this list! I’ve been trying to get away from tylenol, etc for the past several years, but haven’t replaced it with anything, so I keep falling back to it. I’m realizing I need to replace the things I’m giving up so that we have help when we need it. But I need a starting place. I’ll be using this list to help me get started!

Polly, this is what we use: http://amzn.to/1xsfn2v My son loves it and will not be without it. I use it in the spring as trees and grasses pollinate. It works, but take the little white pellets under the tongue 20 -30 minutes or more after a meal for best absorption.
Blessings!

I am very interested in this post as I am going to set up a first aid kit for our home. Nice to know you can have a natural first aid kit! Thanks for sharing your post on the HomeAcre Hop, hope to see you again tomorrow!
– NancyOn The Home Front

Thank you so much for all this information. I use some of these things and I am trying to incorporate some of these things into my medicine chest. I shared a link to this post on my blog. Just thought here is so much information here it needed to be shared. Thanks again for this.
Have a great day,
Connie

I’m wondering about herbs that might help with UTI’s. My daughter has to catheterize herself several times a day. As you know, that is constantly introducing bacteria into her bladder. For years, her body had grown accustomed to a certain level of bacteria and would not react to it, but now as a young adult she has become very sensitive to the bacteria. She cannot go more than a few weeks before developing another UTI. She is currently taking Cranberry Extract, but it does not seem to be improving her ability to stay healthy. Any advice would be helpful, Thanks!

Rebecca, I would also add uva ursi, in capsules, an powerful but gentle herb that works well with cranberry extract and targets the urinary tract: http://amzn.to/1F2ZQv1
Also besides uva ursi, we use NutriBiotic Defense Plus Grapefruit Seed Extract: http://amzn.to/1DCM6pR
Possibly the best thing to take ALL the TIME is monolaurin. We take it to kill many things and we take it EVERYDAY to kill the Lyme’s spirochete: http://www.inspirednutrition.com/list-of-illnesses-monolaurin-works-on.html
I am sorry that she is having this problem. I have had weeks on end of bladder infections and also kidney infections, but these things in combo and some (uva ursi and Cranactin) only when I need them have made my life so much easier. I am praying for her (and you) now.
(((Hugs!)))

Such great information here. I am going to bookmark this post for future reference. Thanks for sharing at So Much At Home! This post was #100 in the link up party! Wow! I finally hit the 100 mark on my link up parties. It is encouraging to see the growth. Thanks for visiting and sharing!!
God bless you.
Chris
So Much At Home

Chris,
I’m glad your link-up is growing, and I expect it will get even larger in time. I love writing about things to help families am glad it is helpful to so many. Really, I hope no one has to use it…meaning you are always well!!
Blessings!

Absolutely love this … we’re trying to go a more natural way with healing and our family now uses essential oils. Our go-to right now is lavender, peppermint and lemon for my wife’s sinus / cold. Hoping next winter isn’t so bad!

Jacqueline, thank you so much for this post. This is such a thorough list! Very helpful for those of us who want to use more natural remedies but don’t know where to start. 🙂 Thanks for putting all the time into sharing this with us!

I use most of what you use and lately using ashwagandha for stress/anxiety to help with the recent loss of my baby. It also helps me sleep really good. I make it in a tea with milk, a bit of sugar and cardamom, which is a recipe I got from Dr. Low Dog.

We used to use various things for colds until we tried Umcka last year. It works right away and even friends and family who tried it after hearing our good results used it and it worked for them! It was successful in our house for the flu as well.

We use live cultures refrigerated probiotics – have you always used the freeze-dried ones? I wonder what the difference is.

We use sage gargles for sore throats and then thyme cough syrup for those nighttime coughs.

Chamomile and lemon balm for relaxing and sleep. Lemon balm also has helped keep my lip cold sores away for over a year now, when I used to get them 2-4 times every year! I also use L-lysine pills whenever I would feel one coming on and most of the time it would stop it if I caught it soon enough, if not, it would shorten the duration.

And I’ve gotten some ideas from you, too, friend! I’ll read up on Umcka soon.
I am sorry to hear about the loss of you baby 🙁 I am praying the Lord will comfort you, dear Mama. We have little ones to see one day soon. Do grieve fully…so many do not and try to suppress the pain. ((Hugs))

I have been dealing with cryptogenic organizing pneumonia for the last 4 months. The lung specialist says prednisone “steroids” is the only treatment. I was on a high dosage for 2 months and had the worst side effects ive ever experienced. He wants to put me back on the prednisone since the pneumonia has came back. Any thoughts?

Danielle,
I am so sorry to read about your dilemma with the cryptogenic organizing pneumonia. I was not familiar with it, and did a bit of reading to understand what you are going through. I am not a doctor and have not read your blood work, etc. but with so much inflammation, there are 2 things I would do if it were me (consult your doctors first, though, because we are all different)…niacinamide and Turmeric w/ bioperine. I use both, and it has kept my lupus inflammation (which is a lot) in check. I’m giving you the link to the article on niacinamide (which does MANY beneficial things and costs very, very little for what it delivers): http://lymeinchronicillness.com/benefits-of-b3-niacinamide/
I use Jarrow niacinamide (4 or 1000mg, 2-3x/d) which has been a godsend! http://amzn.to/1MlhT3u and vitacost.com turmeric C3 (2 AM, 1 at noon, and again 2 in the PM) which has lowered my
inflammation even more when taken together with niacinamide: http://amzn.to/1Mli3bd
If this can keep you off the steroids, it would be wonderful because of all their other nasty side effects. Whether or not you take them (please ask your doctor), I will be praying for you. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” Proverbs 18:10
Love, Jacqueline

Dear Mrs. Jacqueline,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write down all those advices! Very helpful! I have a question about the wild yam cream. In the last months, I began to have bloody leaks right after my ovulation, and it continues daily until my menstruations begin. It seems to be part or my Pms :(. I have emotionnal ans breast effects too. Do you think wild yam can help me? Thanks a lot, have a nice day,
Daniele

Daniele,
Because this repeated event will most certainly cause anemia and the other hormonal outcomes you mention, I would try it once for 30-45 days. Mine are lasting sometimes 2 months, but the first jar a year ago, I use a bit more to get my symptoms gone faster. It has made me less irritable, helped with vag dryness and breast tenderness and hot flashes. Pretty happy about that! I hope that helps 🙂
Would you please let me know if it correct the bloody leaks after ovulation? I’d love to tell someone of your experience. Thanks!

Daniele,
We use it all month during all the full cycle. It is very balancing and has helped both my daughter with PMS and me with menopausal symptoms. Thanks for keeping me posted later, too 🙂 God bless you!

Dear Mrs. Jaqueline,
Here in Quebec, Canada, on Amazon.ca, they sell the Moonmaid wild yam cream at 87$!!! So I’m searching another option, like capsules. At which details I must pay attention before buying? I search a product with the less ingredients… Thanks a lot for your time, God bless you,
Daniele

Daniele, I didn’t know you couldn’t order from the Amazon in Canada the same as we do in US! I thought it was world-wide. There is a lot I don’t know, but it doesn’t seem right. If you use this link ( http://amzn.to/1FOC6ux ), won’t it allow you to order for $21.99? I don’t know of any comparable product in capsules…I wish I could help you, dear. Try it again and let me know what happens, if possible…
Blessings!

By the way, I want to share with you a tip for acnea. When I was 31 (now I’m 38),I had acnea’s problems since I wasin Grade 3, so after some research, I begun to use a few drops of tea tree with a few drops of lavanda twice a day where it was needed. (It really helps to avoid coffee and tea too). Two weeks after,I was relieved, and my face was SOOOO different!!! I was happy to have a natural and easy solution,and to have my husband enjoying my real face and skin

Hi! Hope you’re fine today! Thanks to care! Amazon.com doesn’t sell to Canadian customers, but I found that at VitaShop.ca, they do have wild yam (dioscorea villosa) in caps. The other ingredients are gelatin and magnesium stearate. They sell 100 caps for 12,99$, and suggest to take 2 caps, 3 times a day. I guess I’ll begin with less caps and gradually increase? Any thought on this product?
Thanks a lot dear lady for your advice

I think that it might help a bit, but it won’t have the rest of the herbal ingredients that smooth out the hormonal problems…:( Here is the phone number and email of Moon Maid Botanicals: moonmaidbotanicals@yahoo.com or call 877.253.7853 Ask for Cynthia.
you can still get it, but I have no idea what the shipping is and she can answer that for you. I don’t believe wild yam alone will hlep your problem. I hope you will persist and try it for as long as the tub holds out (at least 5-6 weeks). It would be worth it to see you stop bleeding.
Blessings!

There’s a great amount of useful information here. Thanks for the tips and guidelines. Pinned, tweeted, and stumbled:-) Thank you for linking up and sharing with us at Funtastic Friday. Hope you join us again this week.

Thank you for this comprehensive post! Your cabinet looks very similar to mine!
We also love along with cinnamon, ginger and honey mix either dry or on tea, ground thyme. Thyme has gotten from the most stubborn coughs we’ve had this year! Just have to be careful with the amounts specially for those with high/low blood pressure.
Here’s some additional info on the use of thyme: https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/essential-oils/thyme-essential-oil.html
Bless you for your ministry and your time. May God continue to guide you in wisdom and love for your sister’s in Christ.

Thanks for that information, Gilda! I love thyme EO, but have to use it very wisely as it is not safe for children under 12-13 or those of low weight. I use thyme linalool instead (a more gentle high mountain variety).
Blessings!

Thank you so much for this exhaustive list of remedies and preventatives. I’ve been learning as much as I can but this is truly a gem!

My daughter with Asperger’s occasionally starts rub her hand constantly under her nose and on her upper lip and under her lower lip causing a red rash. I didn’t like all the creams that were being recommended after reading the ingredients. So I decided to give the coconut oil a try. The last time it was serious she was with my MIL for a few days before my husband and I arrived there for Thanksgiving. My SIL asked me to be sure to bring the coconut oil as she was rubbing her face again. My SIL was stunned that my daughters rash was 90% healed within one day (I applied it 4x’s that day). My SIL has even started using it.
I also found out that CO is good for mosquito bites. There could be one mosquito in the entire county and it would hunt my like a bloodhound. I’m highly allergic to mosquito, gnats and chiggers. Within a minute of application, my bites were no longer itching.

Thank you for all you do for us through your blog!! You have been a huge blessing to me and my family!!

Ah, dear Cheryl, is is my pleasure 😀 I am so thankful that the blog is a blessing to you, friend. This new blog format is a ‘gift’ of time to me from a friend who designs websites…I’m convinced she is an angel with skin on!! I am blessed beyond words to be able to reach out more through it. My prayer is that it would be a resource to wives, moms, and women for the glory of the Lord!
Sending hugs, dear one.
And yes! CO is pretty amazing and we use it for practically everything. Now I will be using it for mosquitoes and rashes 🙂 You are a blessing to me 😀

What a terrific and thorough listing. I have been working with changing my cooking and cleaning from commercial products to old school homemade. I never thought to do it with medicines! Thank you so much for the inspiration. Bookmarked! 🙂

My 17 year old daughter has a facial skin condition called cystic acne. She may also have facial eczema. Could you recommend a vitamin or mineral that might help or a cleanser or topical cream she could use. The dermatologist she saw recommended a medication called Roaccutane which can have serious side effects so we don’t want our daughter to take it. Any suggestions? By the way, we live in Northern Ireland.

I really appreciated all this wonderful information. Melaluca oil has been wonderful for ear infection. I dilute with olive oil and place several drops in the infected ear several times a day. This worked great for my son after many doctor visits and antibiotics and get him from getting tubes in his ears.

This will be a great resource. I have been doing some research on my own, but there is so much out there it is hard to decipher what really works and are the best options. Just wondered if you would have anything for skin care. My husband has suffered from a rash for years that just doesn’t seem to go away. It is on his lower legs. The skin is hard and very dry. It gets really itchy, especially in the winter. It is so bothersome to him. I have tried some things on my own. But not with much success, the last product I made used coconut oil, almond oil, along with a blend of herbs. It was so oily and didn’t seem to soak into the skin very well. Any advice would be helpful. We have tried so many things…it would seem like a miracle to have it healed. Any information would be much appreciated.

Monica, in response to your husband’s skin. I can’t diagnose, but it sounds like the coconut oil, almond oil, etc. couldn’t soak in b/c the outer layer is hardened and not very open to absorption. My father had psoriasis that was terribly hard to cure. It wasn’t quite the same but I gave him milk thistle and CoQ10. His psoriasis was from his knees to his ankles and the skin kept pealing off and bleeding, but then it would get quite hard and dry like you describe for weeks before the cycle started over again. We looked at cleaning up and supporting the liver and immune system so it could do its vital job of healing his skin and other things. He did not want to take it, but I was his daughter, so he acquiesced. In 6 months his skin was new like a babies and his psoriasis and several blood issues were pretty much not a problem anymore even at 77 y.o. and he was thrilled! If you want I can tell you what we used and how much, then you can research it out.
I hope that is a help. Blessings!

OK, Monica. I gave my dad 2 things:
Milk thistle, an herb that supports liver and normal detoxification by the liver. http://amzn.to/2ctrObR He took 2 per day, and we saw good changes in the psoriasis in 6 weeks but it took 4-5-6 months to really clean it up fully. This may not work for your husband as we are all individuals. It may not be his liver at all, but this can’t harm him and we’ve used this product when we’ve detoxed to support it.

Second, Dad had immune and other skin issues and the beginning of COPD. He had to admit that he loved what the COQ10 did for him on many levels (energy, respiratory) We used it as part of the protocol before heart bypass surgery I used to work in the OR). Adding CoQ10 alone to the protocol decreased the post-op stay from 10 days down to 4 back in the late 70s. http://amzn.to/2c6MCIa /one a day.

Also, keep him hydrated and eating fiber to clean out the bowels. It is ideal to have one stool a day. Sorry this is so personal. I hope this helps your man.

Oh my goodness, I can’t tell you how happy I am to find this!! My baby started off his life in the NICU with antibiotics for 8 days, and another round of them when he was only 2 months old. Since he was two months old I’ve been looking for natural solutions for everything but always just wandering around the internet wondering what that person experience/education/background is. I love that you back up everything with scripture too❤️ Thank you so much for pouring so much time into this blog to help others. It is a true BLESSING!! God bless you!

Ah, Leah! I’m so thankful, but I can’t take any credit for it is the Lord teaching me through all the trials and experiences we’ve had. Blending that with my nursing background has been so helpful and instructional for me. I just hope to pass it on with the caveat that not everything works the same of everyone. Let your Mama instincts guide you once you’ve prayed and researched!
Blessings!

Leah, I wish I could, friend! You need to subscribe with your email. If you look in the right sidebar right under the ‘Hello!’, you will see 4 colored symbols: F, P, G+, and something that looks like a megaphone. click on the megaphone-like symbol and you can choose how you want to receive your posts. I hope that helps!!! 😀 God bless you!

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[…] I am actually doing a few things right! I also really appreciated the post by Jacqueline over at Deep Roots blog, because it highlights so many ways to keep healthy without breaking the bank, or over using […]

[…] I am actually doing a few things right! I also really appreciated the post by Jacqueline over at Deep Roots blog, because it highlights so many ways to keep healthy without breaking the bank, or over using […]

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